William H. Carpenter

Date of Birth: 06/02/1948
Neighborhood: Tacony
High School: Father Judge High School
Street:
Branch of Service: Marine Corps
Rank: PVT
Date of Casualty: 12/27/1967
Province of Casualty: Thua Thien
Philadelphia Memorial Panel: Panel 5
Panel Row: 4

Click on the memorial panel below for a printable photo of the serviceman on this page.



"Billy" Carpenter was one of seven men from Tacony to die in Vietnam, and had been good friends with two of them — Donald J. Hertrich and Edward F. "Zeek" Zacowski. Six of the seven. including Carpenter, attended St. Leos Elementary School at Kirkwood and Unruh streets. Carpenter joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduating from Father Judge High School in 1966 because he wanted to get his military service behind him before college. The 19-year-old private was a radio-telephone operator for the Headquarters and Service Company. 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, in Vietnam. He died in Thua Thien Province two days after Christmas 1967. Carpenter was survived by his parents and a sister. A testimonial in his honor last year raised several thousand dollars for the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans organization. Carpenter and his friends spent many hours at the Disston Recreation Center in Tacony. Neighbor-hood residents are petitioning the city to rename the center the William H. Carpenter Jr. Recreation Center when it reopens next year after extensive renovations~

Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial